my alternator took a dump on me and i need a replacement. well im looking at autozone and they have 3 and they each have seperate amp rating and 2 are for non ac cars and one is for not. i need to get the cheapest one ATM which is $70 and the amps on it are 94 amps. will i be okay? i had the original alternator on my car so idk what to do.

 

It'll work, but I always recommend getting the highest rating possible, especially when modifying vehicles, and where electronics are likely to be added.

 

my cars all stock and the only electronics iv added are my sound system and iv got my capaciter to help it out.

 

I agree. Keep in mind usually the listed amperage is at highway RPMs and will be lower at idle.

 

aslong as i dont kill this new alternator ill be fine lol. i dont try and strain it too much

 

Capacitors won't make up for a lack of an adequate power supply. An upgraded sound system is a primary reason to get the highest possible rated output.

 

New alternators should always be broken in. This is cause of the brushes inside are new. If you push that alt to hard out of the box, the brushes will overheat and the commutator will get damaged = short life.

Also, EFI vs Carb req. different capacity alternators. GM spec'd alt for cars in the 80's and 90's that were EFI to use around 100A. I have seen any where from 94A to 105A in EFI GM cars. 120-160A for larger GM vehicles. I think most now days run a minimum of 120A and 160A-200A is very common. Carb'd motors AC or not were usually under 80A. I believe non ac was around 63A and the AC were like 74A or something. Power windows, power seats, mirrors all added to the kind of Alt GM spec'd . AZ does not do a good job defining certain amp alts and why certain ones are used.

Amp rating on an alt is always max output. At max output the alt will die fast. Just headlights, running lights, and heater fan, computer, fuelpump, injectors all on will run about 35-45A load. Driving lights will add about another 15A. The radiator fan, look at the amp ratings on them, many are pretty hungry, 7A to 20A. Charging the battery can take from 5A to 50A depending on how dead it is.

 

Go to a CS144. You can get on ebay and type in serpentine bracket and you will find the bracket that will let you bolt on a CS144 which are plentiful on ebay. I bought the bracket and a used CS144 on ebay and mine is working great now. I have gone through several CS130s over the years and got tired of it. I have the belt number you will need also. The CS144 needs to be a 140 amp off of a 96 caprice. You will be glad you did. You can get the CS144 pumped up to 300 amps if you think you need it. There are several 200 plus amps on ebay.

 

well my car is a base car so i mean it has NO power options what so ever. i only have my lights( headlights, parking lights, tails and highmount, and interior) my ac doesnt work so i dont use it so the only thing that really draws power is my system and like i said i never crank it to what i could i normally keep it about 20 and iv never noticed my needle drop on my old one but it was also 26 years old aswell

 

getting my old one rebuilt instead